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Questions tagged [efs]

EFS (or Encrypting File System) is a feature included with some high-end versions of Windows XP and newer which allows the user to encrypt data on a filesystem level.

138 questions
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7 answers

I started getting a weird message "Encrypting file system - Back up your file encryption key"

I started getting a strange message when I start my computer. An icon appears in the system tray, and a popup tells me "Encrypting file system - Back up your file encryption key". I know what EFS is, but I don't use it. To my knowledge, I don't have…
Ove
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13
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2 answers

Accessing EFS-encrypted files after resetting Windows password

I have some EFS-encrypted files in Windows. The owning user account is protected by a password, which can be easily bypassed (i.e. reset) by many tools and methods. So what will happen to these encrypted files if that happens? Will they be…
ICTAddict
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12
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7 answers

How to remove Encrypted flag when copying a file from a HDD to a USB drive?

Environment: Windows 7, but applies to other EFS-compatible Windows versions I have a file that is encrypted using standard Windows EFS encryption. When I copy that file to a USB drive using Total Commander or Explorer, the file stays encrypted at…
vladimir
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11
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2 answers

I've lost access to my encrypted files

I have an account on Windows Server 2008 R2, which at the moment I am using as a desktop. I had certain files encrypted under a standard user account. I changed my password, and then lost power without logging off. After logging in again I was no…
Jake
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3 answers

Windows 8 EFS: How to tell windows to use "this" certificate for EFS encryption?

On Windows 8, I turned on EFS and encrypted some files/folders. During this process, it created a self signed certificate and used that one for encryption. However, I have a specific certificate that I always use for my personal…
DeepSpace101
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8
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1 answer

How to use backup EFS certificate to decrypt encrypted files?

I have some files that were encrypted on a now extinct Windows 7 system. I made sure to backup my keys, this one is called efs.pfx. Double-clicking it launches the Certificate Import Wizard which places it in the Current User > Personal store. But…
Louis Waweru
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1 answer

What are differences between EFS and BitLocker in Windows?

We learned in MCITP about their features. Are there any conflicts between EFS and BitLocker? Can we use both of them together? If so, how?
saber tabatabaee yazdi
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7
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4 answers

EFS - Find out what's encrypted

Since a few days when I start Windows Vista i get a Popup from "Encrypting File System" (coming from process efsui.exe) asking me to backup the certificate and key. I don't know what i did to get this message (The last SW i did install was google…
gsharp
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7
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1 answer

Getting Through EFS (Encrypted File System)

I'm 99% sure, at this point, that the answer is, "not possible." But I figured there are tons of smart people here who might be able to help me out, even if that help is just to validate that it's not possible. About a year ago, I migrated my home…
John Rudy
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7
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1 answer

Encrypting search index using EFS

Is there anything wrong with encrypting the search index with EFS while letting the search service index encrypted files? I've encrypted the directory %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Search and I've added SYSTEM user by using "cipher /ADDUSER…
wbkang
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7
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1 answer

How do I let the SYSTEM account use EFS encryption?

I want to encrypt some files used by a Windows service running as Local System (i.e. using the NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM account). Since BitLocker doesn't seem to work with software RAID, EFS seems to be the way to go. However, cipher /adduser doesn't…
Ben N
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6
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2 answers

File Access Denied despite being administrator, owning the files, and having full permissions

I'm trying to copy data from my old laptops hard drive to my new desktop's. But on a certain folder, I can't copy any of the actual files - just the subfolders. I am informed that I require permission from myself, the only user and administrator on…
tvanc
  • 213
5
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1 answer

EFS recovery from backed up registry files?

Here's what I have: Backed up encrypted files Backed up registry files (ntuser.dat) password The original OS (Windows XP) hosting the EFS encrypted files is gone. I do not have a backed up key file. Is it possible to recover the encrypted files…
Joel Harris
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5
votes
3 answers

EFS disallows me from decrypting files on Windows 7?

I have a large folder with a lot of personal photos that I would like to copy. But Windows 7 won't let me. Apparently they are encrypted. I can't remember setting that, nor can I remember any sort of key or password I ever received for decryption. I…
Simon Verbeke
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5
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2 answers

Get EFS to release file so that it can be deleted

I tried to encrypt a very large file 100+ gig using EFS and canceled when it said it was going to take 12 hours. Cancellation hung until I finally rebooted the system and now I'm unable to delete the file or open it because windows (7) still…
Aaron
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